Home is Right Where You Left It
by Nanari
Summary: What if Emma's first plan (sharing a heart) had worked? Killian and Emma recover from the emotional fallout of the Underworld and figure out what "home" is now that they're back in Storybrooke. Canon-divergent homecoming fic, with Captain Swan bonding and cuddles! [Captain Swan, Snowing and Mills family are mentioned]
1. Chapter 1

At long last, they were finally back in Storybrooke. Snow, David, Henry, Regina, Robin, Emma and Hook, along with Rumpelstiltskin and Belle had returned from the Underworld! Since the town still existed, they were still technically under a curse, but no one was complaining.

The group of adventurers emerged from the portal in a rush, stumbling gratefully onto the main street of the magical town. It was early afternoon, but fog still drifted across the edge of town along the shoreline. The blue-gray sky was a welcome relief from the harsh red of the Underworld. Emma clutched Hook's hand tightly and the Charmings were barely restraining themselves from running across town to hold their baby son. Regina had an arm around Henry, Robin close behind. Rumpelstiltskin had disappeared as soon as they were through the portal, and no one had suggested looking for him. Yet.

They agreed to meet up for dinner at Granny's in a few hours, after taking care of their personal errands, and the group split up, heading for town in twos and threes.

Except for the two ex-Dark Ones.

After hugging Henry and her parents, Emma grabbed Killian again and they meandered down towards the shore a little ways until a bench appeared and they sat down. A minute passed, then two. They sat quietly, listening to the waves and the wind and the seagulls calling to each other. Emma had to make a conscious effort not to squeeze Killian's hand painfully, and after another moment stretched out her fingers within his grasp. Smiling, he looked briefly down at their joined hands and then back at her face.

"Emma," he began hesitantly, breaking their silence. "Do you mind if we make a stop before going back into town?"

"Sure. I'm still dealing with visions of the messed up "Underbrooke" version of town, so more time out here," Emma gestured at the harbor laid out before them, "can only help clear my head."

Hook nodded in agreement, standing and pulling her with him. "I've always found the water to be soothing, even in a working port." They ambled along the boardwalk, hand in hand, and Hook told her about his favorite ports of call. At first he tried to avoid mentioning Liam or Milah, but he's describing the junks with their hand-woven orange sails and it just comes out.

"...so there I was, standing in front of this man's boat covered in this fish sauce, and Milah says-" he stopped short, a pang of fresh pain shooting through him.

Emma halted next to him, and placed a hand on his cheek, the other on the brace of his hook. "It's okay," she said softly, "we don't have to talk about this right now."

Killian leaned into her hand briefly, but then pulled it down and clutches it in his own. He tucked his arm around hers, pulling her against him in an old-fashioned promenade, and continued walking. He continues his story as well. "No, I want to... it hurts, like losing her all over again, but at least this time I can share her with you." He glanced down at the Savior, a small sad smile on his lips. "I wish the circumstances had been different, but I'm glad you spoke with her."

Emma's lips quirked. "You should have seen her face when we tried to explain how Baelfire/Neal and you and I all fit together."

Hook grimaced briefly. "Considering half the time I fail to understand how we came to be here, I can only imagine her response." They were nearly in sight of the Harbor Master's office now, and the pirate subconsciously picked up his walking pace. "It must have been nearly as perplexed as the time I explained tacking into the wind. She soon picked up sailing, though, like a lass who was born to it."

Spying the _Jolly Roger_ 's mast poking up from her bay at the dock, Emma realized where they were going, and smiled up at her pirate as he continued to describe Milah's first days on board. Of course he wanted to go home to a familiar place after the trials he'd endured. Listening to him talk about the woman he'd loved, and pursued sworn vengeance for over the course of 300 years, she was surprised to find she wasn't jealous. It helped, of course, that she knew Killian was deeply in love with her. It also helped that she'd met Milah, and had come to admire her strength of will in even the short time they'd known each other.

"...hit him with the block! After that, he listened when an order was given." Killian finished, and waited for Emma's reaction.

"Sounds like you guys had some crazy adventures," she offered.

A fond smile crossed Killian's features. "Aye." He looked at Emma with a mischievous smile, "Although we never fell through a portal and traveled back in time, while managing to both disrupt and then fix the time-line."

Emma chuckled. "I'm pretty sure we're the ONLY people who can say that, even with my crazy storybook family." The turned a corner around a warehouse and paused for a moment as the _Jolly Roger_ came into full view. "She's beautiful, Hook." _And you traded her for the chance to give me a message, even when I didn't remember you!_ Emma added to herself, her heart swelling with love for the man beside her.

"That she is." A feeling of contentment swept through Hook as he took in the sight of the tall ship, flags flapping lazily in the slight breeze. He squeezed Emma's hand. "Not only is she just as good looking as her captain, but she's fast too. Good thing, as she's saved my hide from more than just Evil curses. Villager with spears, for example, who don't take kindly to certain individuals unmooring their junks just before the swell of the fishing season."

"Wait a sec, go back. What happened when Milah saw the junk? Why were you covered in fish sauce?" Emma leaned into his arm as they continued down the pier.

"When I say fish 'sauce' I may be hyperbolizing slightly. It was rather more like fish entrails..." Hook continued his tale with relish, as Emma groaned and made the appropriate grossed-out response. By the time they reached the gangway to the ship, they were both flushed with laughter.

Emma led the way on board, and after a brief tour of the deck to make certain everything was in its proper place (and allowing her Captain to stroke the woodwork and reacquaint himself with the ship's lines on a personal level), they went below decks to the salon.

"It may seem a bit odd, but I'd like to write down what I experienced in the Underworld." Killian explained, as he pulled out a journal from a drawer full of charts and diagrams. He looked hesitantly at Emma, unsure if she would laugh or dismiss his idea.

She only nodded. "Sure, makes sense to me. Maybe Henry can give you some pointers."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm going to leave the magic up to your family, if it's all the same to you." He grabbed an inkwell and pen from a cupboard and sat down at a table. "Speaking of which, if you need to go and check in with them, I'll be here for a little while and you needn't stay to watch me write."

"I 'needn't'," Emma agreed, "but I'm damn well not letting you out of my sight, pirate." She leaned over to kiss his cheek and wandered over to the covered bench that ran the length of the room. "You may not have needed sleep, what with being dead and all, but I'm going to grab a quick cat nap before the next catastrophe."

"Don't even joke about that, Swan!" Killian retorted fiercely, looking up from his log book.

"I'm sorry, Killian, you know I was only joking. I guess my attempt at black humor fell flat."

He grimaced. "I know, love. My sense of humor may just be taking longer to come back to life than the rest of me."

"Some food should help, too. After we're done here, lets go set things right at the house, and then we'll see about meeting the rest of the group at the diner." Emma set her phone timer for 20 minutes, and curled up on the bench, resting her head on her arms so she could watch Killian write for a few moments before closing her eyes. "If I miss my alarm, wake me." She muttered.

"Of course, love."

"I mean it, Killian, don't let me sleep longer just because you're worried about me."

"Wouldn't dream of it, love."

"You're lying."

"And you're still talking, not sleeping."

There was a pause, with the only sound of pen on thick paper and quiet breathing interrupting the sound of waves against the hull and wind through the rigging.

"I love you, Killian."

"I love you too, Emma."

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Thirty minutes later, Emma woke up on her own to find Killian napping over his log book. She woke him up, and together they gathered a few things to take over to the new house. Never having much in the way of personal possessions due to the tight quarters on a ship, and given his new Storybrooke wardrobe is mostly at Granny's, Killian's seabag was mostly full of books and a few mementos of Liam and Milah.

As they left the cabin, Emma looked over at the captain's bunk. "You know, that doesn't look that small. To hear you sailors talk about it, I always imagined a coffin-sized space."

"Trust me, love," Killian leered, "when you're in a bed with me, there's little enough space extra."

"I'm still not convinced." Emma glanced at the bunk and then back at Hook with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I guess we'll have to put that theory to the test one of these days."

His blue eyes darkening, Killian held her gaze for a long moment before replying, "Aye, that we will." Emma shivered despite herself. It had been too long since they'd been able to flirt properly, and she was looking forward to bringing out the playful side of her pirate again, free from the taint of Darkness.

By the time they reached the two-story blue house that was to be their new home, they were running later than planned, and only had time to drop off Killian's bag and change clothes before it was time for their early dinner and debrief. The problem of what to do with Rumple hung over everyone's heads, but first, food.

All during dinner, Henry stuck close to Regina. He hugged his grandparents, shook hands with the dwarves, and waved at Violet, but mostly kept an eye on his mother. He knew the events of the Underworld had been hard on her. Henry stayed with Regina that night, and although he wouldn't admit it to either of his mothers, he really enjoyed the sensation of being safe in his childhood bedroom again. He may be growing up, but after the chaos of the Underworld, familiarity meant a lot. And Hook would agree.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This was written before 5x21 Last Rites, so it's canon divergent. In this story, splitting Emma's heart did work, and the Hades and Zelena drama haven't gone down yet.**

 **Stay tuned for Captain Swan cuddling in Chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

It was odd, standing in front of Emma's house. The Dark One's house. Hook looked up at the two-story edifice, his eyes following the white trim up the pointed gable and back down to the small, tidy porch.

Emma stood next to him, her hands in her back pockets. She watched him watch the house. "I know it's weird now, I'm sorry about-" she paused, waving a hand uncertainly. "I'm sorry I screwed it all up." She finally got out. She meant the house, specifically. This house that Killian and Henry had picked out for them, way back in Camelot. Now it held ugly memories for both of them. It was the Dark Ones' house more than it was theirs.

Killian turned around to face her. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for those things I said-"

Emma shook her head fiercely, feeling hot tears well up in her eyes as she glared at Hook. "No. You don't have to apologize. This is all on me. I made the decision that put you in that place to say those things. I'm the one who tried to fix it by stealing memories, and chaining you up in the basement, for crying out loud!"

It sounded so ridiculous, Killian felt his lips start to turn up in a smile. He fought it, but Emma noticed.

"Are you..." her rage faltered. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No, love, not you. The whole thing-" He ducked his head for a moment, lips twitching. "After 200 sordid years struggling to stay alive for the sole purpose of revenge (likely dying in the process), I end up in love with a Savior who tried to keep me chained up in her basement, and then retrieved my lifeless soul from the Underworld after she ran me through with a sword. Which she did only at my insistence."

Emma had to admit, if you took a step back from the circumstances, it was pretty outlandish. It helped a little, to look at the big picture and draw back from the emotional trauma and horror they'd experienced. "Okay, it's a little absurd."

"Understatement of the century." Hook took her hand in his, and rested his hook at her waist. "Emma, if you can forgive me for the terrible things I said to hurt you, I'm willing to start anew with you and this house."

"I've already said-"

"Emma, please, you're being difficult again." Hook looked pleadingly into her eyes. He needed to hear the words, not just hear her say he wasn't responsible for the hurtful ones.

She sighed, and then said slowly and clearly, "Hook, Killian: I forgive you. I want the future we talked about in Camelot. You and me, in this house together."

"Me too." He added quietly.

Once inside the house, Emma used her magic to clear up every trace of the Dark One, leaving only the furniture the house came with (basic couch, dining set, kitchen and bath appliances). She and Killian spent some time puttering around the kitchen and living room before heading upstairs to the bedroom.

Killian put his sea-bag down outside the closet, and looked around the room. It was pleasant, with a double-bed in the center of the room, and a large picture window overlooking the neighborhood. A master bathroom opened off to one side, with a walk-in closet at the other. An empty bookcase stood next to the doorway leading to the hall, and Emma awkwardly fidgeted with the lone paperback book on it's shelf. ( _The Once and Future King_ by T.H. White. She'd read it multiple times during her long, sleepless nights as the Dark One).

"We'll have to get curtains, of course, but the room gets great natural light," Emma started rambling about window treatments, and Hook realized she was nervous about his reaction.

"It's lovely, Swan." He crossed the room to look out the window, leaning over the bed to get a good view. "You can even see the _Jolly_ from here!" Killian knew Henry had tried to find something near the harbor, but he was pleasantly surprised the lad had found something so fitting. He looked back at Emma, and she relaxed when she saw his pleased expression.

She left the well-worn paperback on the shelf, and stuck her head in the closet. "I know we talked about going furniture shopping, but is it okay if I pop some shelves in here in the meantime? There's nowhere to put my clothes." Her voice echoed oddly in the empty space, filled only with the racks and a few empty hangers.

"Emma," her name was said with loving exasperation. "We've just survived a trip from the land of the dead, it's our first night in a new place, and the beginning of living together in the same house, and you're more interested in investigating a closet than the handsome pirate in your bedroom?"

The Savior pulled her head back out of the closet and looked over at Killian, who was sitting on the bed in the process of removing his boots. Although the words were suggestive, his voice was lightly teasing rather than seductively flirtatious. Emma could tell he was just as exhausted as she was, and had a feeling that any bedroom acrobatics would have to be postponed at least a day or so.

"Sorry," Emma tossed her hair back over her shoulder and glanced teasingly back at him. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?" She asked coyly.

"Aye, you can help me get my jacket off." Killian grinned at her flirting, but his answer was a sincere request for help. Normally his hook wasn't a problem, given the centuries of practice, but he was tired and stiff and didn't feel like wrangling his relatively-new jacket around the prosthetic.

Emma gave up the flirting routine and helped him with the jacket in question. She conjured a coat rack from the living room to stick in the corner of their bedroom for the time being. Crossing the room, she shucked her own outer layer and hung it up with his.

"Hook, if you're okay here, I'm going to use the restroom, and then do you want to talk about tomorrow real quick? I don't know how much longer I'll be coherent, so let's make it an early night."

"I quite agree, love. As it turns out, being dead is rather exhausting. I'd hate to be at less than full form for our first time making love together, and I'm afraid tonight is probably not going to fit that bill."

Emma was just about to close the door to the bathroom when she heard the end of his comment. She couldn't resist sticking her head out for a response, "I think you're selling yourself short, Captain. You haven't been out with me yet." She grinned wickedly, using his own words before their first date against him, and then closed the door.

Killian again found himself marveling at the Providence which somehow saw fit to grace him with the love of woman such as Emma despite his many ill deeds. _Truly, if she believed he was worth saving than there must be something to it_. She was unbelievably attractive in both spirit and body.

When Emma emerged from the bathroom, beginning to reconsider her own ideas about how the night would go, any such plans were dashed. Hook was asleep on his back, laid out on top of the covers still in his clothes. He had managed to undo his vest, but no more, and Emma smiled fondly down at him.

Looking briefly around the room, she admired the way her red jacket hung next to his black leather one on the coat tree for a moment, and then quickly magicked herself pajamas from the loft into her hands. "You've got the right idea, Pirate. Sleep first, fun later."

She contemplated tucking him in under the covers, but worried that it might wake him. The evening was mild, and she'd seen him sleep in his full pirate-get up, which seemed much more uncomfortable than jeans and a shirt. Although these jeans were quite fitted... Feeling slightly guilty for ogling her boyfriend while he was unconscious, Emma quickly shrugged into her nightclothes, and crawled under the covers on the other side of the bed. "Goodnight, Killian" she murmured, and swept a hand over the lock of black hair that threatened to fall into his eyes. "Sleep well."

Emma closed her eyes and tried to relax, but her thoughts were spinning through her head in a maelstrom of memories and impressions. Snippets of conversation and painful realizations prickled at her, denying her the peaceful sleep she sought. After a few moments of disturbing images from her time as a Dark One playing on the inside of her eyelids, she sighed and opened her eyes.

She was facing Killian, who lay on his back but with his head angled slightly towards her. To distract herself from her thoughts, she traced his features with her eyes, silently overlaying the healthy face in front of her with the battered, bloody picture embedded in her mind. When she had first seen his flickering visage at the graveyard, beaten nearly to a pulp and unable to stand anymore, she had thought her heart would break in two right there from pain. _He's okay, he's right here with you now._ She told herself, but it wasn't until she reached out and brushed his hair back again that she felt calm returning. He had been dead, but no longer. His skin was warm to the touch, and she could see his chest rise and fall with his regular breathing.

"You are a hero, you know." She murmured to him, remembering how he had dodged her kiss after she'd healed him in the Underworld, uncertain of his own worthiness. "I'm the Savior, my parents ensured I'd be a force for Good, and I still almost lost to the Darkness. But Killian, you are stronger than me." Emma paused for a moment. Even whispering it was still hard to say. "Liam said I pushed you off a cliff, into the Darkness." She regretted not getting to say goodbye to Liam, to give him a chance to get to know her more. At least he had successfully moved on, and gotten to say goodbye to his brother. "Killian, you pulled yourself back up. If that's not heroic, than I don't know what is. That was all you."

"Mmm, but it was because of you." Killian's voice was gravelly with sleep, and he spoke equally softly.

"I thought you were asleep. I didn't mean to wake you up." Emma watched him closely. He still lay with his eyes closed.

"And miss all the lovely things you're saying about me?" Finally he turned his head, winking at her. He shifted slightly to face her, and clasped her hand in his. "I've already come to the realization I'm worth saving, Emma, that's why I'm here with you now."

"I know, but I just-" Emma stroked their joined hands with her free hand. She looked deeply into his eyes, searching them as if they could help her express the depth of her feelings. "...I want you to know that I know. If that makes sense." She held his gaze for a moment longer, and then Killian ruined the moment by yawning, hugely.

"I'm sorry, Swan, truly." He did look regretful for having ruined her speech. Emma couldn't help but smile, and felt her heart swell with pride and fondness for the sleepy pirate next to her. "Go ahead, nod off in the middle of my big declaration, I see how important this is to you." she teased gently. "Just trying to express my feelings for you, nothing important."

He smiled back at her, and kissed her knuckles. "Darling, I can feel exactly how much you care about me." He tapped his chest with his hook. "We share a heart, remember? Just now, that swell of pride and love? That goes both ways."

Emma flushed. "Well, just..." she had no comeback, "...watch where that hook's flailing. There's a shortage of pure hearts around here and if that one gets punctured we're out of luck."

The pirate chuckled and let go of her hand in order to twist the hook out of the brace. He placed it on the nightstand and then rolled back over to face her. "There, all tucked away for the night."

"Good, now can we settle down? I bet you five bucks my mom's going to come over first thing tomorrow with Neal, and then try to organize the kitchen for us." Emma grumbled, but Killian knew she wasn't actually displeased.

"You're the one who woke me up, love, if you recall." Killian unbuckled his brace, and dropped it off the side of the bed. It felt odd taking it off in front of someone, but he had already placed his life in Emma's hands on more than one occasion, and he didn't want to make a big deal out of this small moment.

Although her eyes were drifting closed, Emma felt the dip in the mattress as Hook shifted around, and she opened her eyes in time to see him settle back down on his side, facing her. She caught sight of an odd expression flickering across his face before he met her eyes again as he settled his head down into the pillow. Following her instincts, she glanced down and saw his bare stump where the hook usually sat. Instantly realizing the significance, she reached up and stroked his face gently, not saying anything for a moment. Finally, after a yawn threatened to give the man an up-close and personal view of her tonsils, she tugged at the blankets he still lay on top of. "Killian, unless you're boycotting my bed until certain "activities" take place, get under the covers."

"Never, love." Within moments, Killian had slipped under the covers, and Emma found herself pulling his arms around her, sighing contentedly.

"Now, isn't that better? G'night, Killian" she murmured sleepily into his chest.

"Night Emma." Killian's good hand and arm were already tingling with pins and needles where she lay on them, but like hell was he going to complain. His Swan was in his arms, they were both alive and free of the Darkness, and they were together in every sense of the word.

Emma was still getting used to this "relationship" and "feelings" thing, but she had to admit that lying in a cozy bed with her heroic, loving, and dashingly handsome boyfriend was a pretty nice place to be. She snuggled down into the pillow and her pirate. If "home was where the heart is," Emma had never been more at home in her life.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Originally, this was all I'd planned on writing. Just a fluffly blurb where our heroes finally get a chance to breath, and take a nap! I got a review asking about how Zelena and Hades would fit into this version of their return to Storybrooke, and although I don't have it written out, I'll give you my idea of how that all worked out. Perhaps I'll write it down next week.**

 **Short version: Zelena, baby, and Hades come back as on the show, but this time it's Henry who goes with Regina to steal back the baby, and he's the one who gets killed. Once in the Underworld, Henry finds the book and sends the pages back up to his mum. He's all ready to head on to heaven to see his dad again, when Zeus does his trick, and Bob's Your Uncle, Henry's back in Storybrooke, alive again. So in my version, everybody lives! Except for Hades. Who is awful.**


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